The Greenhouse project involved planting rows of willow trees above buffer zones in fields that are parallel to river banks and waterways.
The purpose of this project was to manage agricultural runoff, as the willow trees absorbed some nitrates from the soil; preventing them from entering into waterways and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Why Willow Trees?
Willows are an ideal plant choice for this project because…
- They grow quickly.
- They are capable of absorbing large amounts of excess nutrients.
- They slow down runoff; allowing the water to absorb into the soil easier while decreasing pollutant transport.
- They remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; and store it in the tree roots and stems as soil organic matter.
- This carbon storage can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; thereby reducing the rate of global warming.
This willow tree project was 1 of 20 similar ones across Canada that was funded by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, focusing on greenhouse gas mitigation practices and technologies that can be applied on the farm.
This project worth $1,003,508 was awarded $895,208 from Agriculture Agri-Food Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Mitigation program in 2017 with the balance covered by industry contributions. This 5 year project, led by EPAA, allowed farmers to adopt GHG mitigation practices and increase their understanding of GHG emissions.
The province wide project is made possible through partnership with the Souris and Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation, the Kensington North Watersheds Association, Bill Schroeder – Research Consultant, Emily K. Murphy – Research Consultant, Brian Murray – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and David Burton, Dalhousie University.
Overall there was approximately 13,500 trees planted between 12 sites in the East Prince, Kensington North, and Souris Area.
Willow Biomass Project
Dr. Yefang Jiang, Hydrology and Water Quality Specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is leading a follow up project directly connected to the GHG project, that researches the effects of recycling harvested willow biomass into the soil.
His team assesses the effects of incorporating willow biomass into the soil after potato harvest, on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing soil organic matter. It also has the potential to reduce nutrient losses by immobilizing nitrate owing to its high Carbon Nitrogen Ratio, if it is strategically incorporated in periods when excessive soil nitrate and moisture coexist and crop uptake diminishes.
Our overall goal is to improve nitrogen and phosphorus uses, while increasing soil organic matter, reducing nutrient loss, combating against wireworm, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.